Superstorm Sandy destroyed many Shore tourism attractions in October. But with Memorial Day weekend less than a week away, the area — the amusement park, the boardwalk and the beaches — is getting ready for the summer crowds.

At Keansburg Amusement Park's grand reopening Saturday, co-owner Bill Gehlhaus thanked workers and volunteers for their dedication to restore the 108-year-old park after Sandy destroyed rides, game stands, arcade games and more. Photographs of the park's devastation were posted throughout the park.

"We are back in action. This amusement park is a historic site in its own right," said state Sen. Joe Kyrillos prior to the ribbon-cutting. "This is a special anchor."

Kenn and Nikki Bizzoco of Middletown, N.J., were at the park's water gun game Saturday with their 2-year-old son, Dylan. The family was thrilled that enough had been rebuilt for the summer.

"I grew up here ... and this summer Dylan is really old enough to go on the rides. He went on his first ride all by himself ... the little boats," said a smiling Nikki Bizzoco, 30. "My favorite part is not back yet, it's the carousel. It's getting there."

Many of the park's attractions are up and running; games and arcades are brand new. There are other projects still in progress, including the Bertazzon bumper cars, the Flying Swings, the Rocking Tug, the carousel and two more waterslides in the Runaway Rapids waterpark.

“People used to always say, 'Asbury Park is coming back' before the storm, and now it's taken on a whole new meaning.”

Katharine Koehler, the park's marketing director, said the park hopes to have such projects completed by Memorial Day.

"It's awesome. It's a start of a new beginning," said Kenn Bizzoco, 37. "People can just start right off Route 36 here and work their way down. It's very exciting."

Keith and Ellen Bursack of Old Bridge visited the park with son, Luke, 6, and his friend, Jacob Kalsver, 6.

"To me, you would never think there was any damage," said Ellen Bursack, 45, of the park's condition. "For the most part, all the rides he (Luke) likes to go on, they're all done. The food is still the same."

Currently, hours vary for the park; Koehler said to check the online schedule daily.

"I think it's kind of like rebirth," Koehler said of the reopening.

"People were like 'That place? Oh they'll never make it back' ... but we climbed out of the sand and are like 'Yeah, we're making it back.' "

In Asbury Park on Saturday, officials and residents were celebrating the grand reopening of the boardwalk — which also was hit hard by Sandy.

To fuel the festivities, the first 1,000 residents at the event received a complimentary city daily beach pass.

The Asbury Park High School marching band and Asbury Park Bishops cheerleaders performed at the event, which brought in a couple hundred people.

"I think it's remarkable and thrilling," said Bob Gaynor of Asbury Park. "(I like) seeing the thousands of people walk on the boardwalk on a Saturday about 6 o'clock at night. Luckily, it wasn't as badly hit as other towns ... but they still had a long road and they did a good job."

All boardwalk businesses and restaurants are open, including Convention Hall and Paramount Theatre.

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jackie Pappas said landscaping will be completed by July 4.

"People used to always say, 'Asbury Park is coming back' before the storm, and now it's taken on a whole new meaning," said Pappas. "And now when I say, 'we're here, we're moving forward,' this is the day I will be thinking of."